#Merchant and Ferry Logistics Network
Contents
Canon. Covers how money and goods set yoma incidents in motion.
#Opening Scene — The Weight of an Empty Box
There was one empty box in the ferry warehouse. The problem was that all three laborers who had moved it hurt their backs. The box was empty; the seal had not been broken. But inside the wood grain, letters scratched with a fingernail remained.
Do not take it out.
The merchant company's agent, Hamaya Soemon, wiped his sweat. "We do not know the contents. The shipping manifest listed incense."
When the PCs lifted the manifest, different letters showed through from underneath. Enryokan specimen. Keep dry. Do not call the name.
Outside the warehouse, someone from Black-Tag Gang was waiting; the shogunate inspection unit had not yet arrived. The goods were empty — but the route through which those goods had been bought and sold was still alive.
#Law — Using the Logistics Network
- Merchant companies can be a heroic ally, a gray-area helper, or a black-market conduit.
- Set the core of the incident not as "who killed whom" but as "what went from where to where."
- Give the PCs supply and mobility, but attach commercial loss and client pressure alongside.
#Faction Card
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Surface | Merchant companies, warehouses, ferries, highway transport, bills of exchange and supply |
| Hidden | Concealing yoma goods, smuggling, transporting forbidden texts, covering up incidents |
| Leadership | Company heads, agents, warehouse supervisors, ferry union masters |
| Field | Porters, guards, ledger handlers, boatmen |
| Strengths | Money, logistics, information, hideouts, fast movement |
| Weaknesses | Ledgers, debt, Black-Tag Gang infiltration, shogunate checkpoints |
#Faction Trait
[Aptitude] Supply Ledger (補給帳簿)
Merchant and ferry organizations move goods and roads before they move swords. When the right things arrive on time, both combat and negotiation hold longer.
Effect: During the lull phase, spend 1 gold coin or 1 supply item to choose one: 1 allied squad gains +1 cohesion (max 5), or a check to move cargo, injured persons, or sealed items gains +2. This effect cannot be used if the ledger has been confiscated or the supply route has been cut.
If a PC acquires this: 1/session, +3 to checks involving gear, lodging, transport, warehouse concealment, or investigating a client. After use, a trace of the PC's movement or transaction is left in the ledger.
Applies to: Minion through Elite units and companion squads belonging to the Merchant and Ferry Logistics Network treat this as an innate trait. Lord-grade company heads hold it as 1 General Trait slot.
#Companion Squads
All squads below apply Faction Trait [Aptitude] Supply Ledger.
#Merchant Porter Unit — Minion
Scent: Laborers who carry sealed boxes and the injured on their backs between ferry and warehouse. Their work is not to ask what they haul, so no matter what scratches from inside, they hide behind the pile of cargo and brace with their shoulders alone.
Wounds 1, Defense 11. Domination +2 (squad of 6).
Techniques:
- Cargo Haul [Kata] — When commanded. Move one heavy item, injured person, or sealed box.
- Pile Cover [Stance] — Sustained. Allied units in the same zone gain a +1 defense bonus against ranged attack checks.
#Highway Escort — Veteran
Scent: Seasoned guards who protect the merchant company's goods and people along the highway and its junctions. Skilled at sealing off a road and forming up to keep the cargo between them, they are men whose goal is arrival rather than dazzling feats of arms.
Wounds 2, Defense 13. Domination +3 (squad of 4).
Techniques:
- Escort Formation [Stance] — Sustained. The first attack check against 1 protected target suffers -1.
- Road Block [Kata] — When commanded. The next move by an enemy in the same zone costs +1 Energy.
#Leadership NPC: Hamaya Soemon — Elite
Scent: A merchant company agent who knows the true cargo beyond the manifest yet only wipes his sweat and claims ignorance. A trader who moves people with bills of exchange and warehouse keys, he wields credit rather than the blade and fears most the moment that credit breaks.
Hamaya Soemon (濱屋惣右衛門) — Elite
Wounds 3, Defense 12, Energy 11
Courage+0, Finesse+1, Physique+1, Wisdom+3, Presence+3, Fate+3
Domination +4| Technique | Type | Energy | Check | Effect | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill of Exchange Pressure | [Kata] | 2 | 2d10+Presence vs target 2d10+Fate | A failing human target finds it difficult to refuse a transaction or pressure in this scene | 1/breath |
| Warehouse Key | [Upkeep] | 0 | — | During the lull phase, produce one concealed item or replacement gear | 1/session |
| Behind the Guards | [Technique] | Reservation 2/Improvised 3 | 2d10+Fate >= enemy attack | Negates hit. On success, an escort squad in the same zone loses -1 cohesion | — |
Special:
- Weight of Trust: If Soemon is caught in a lie, the entire merchant network's faction trait cannot be used for the remainder of that scenario.
- Faction Trait: Soemon holds [Aptitude] Supply Ledger as an innate trait.
#Light and Shadow
| Light | Shadow |
|---|---|
| A practical force that keeps people and goods alive | Will transport dangerous goods if paid |
| Gives the PCs mobility and supply | The ledger itself is the weakness |
| Gathers information outside the shogunate quickly | The line between them and Black-Tag Gang can blur |
#As PC Affiliation
A PC affiliated with the merchant network reads incidents through logistics and profit-and-loss. Their strengths in supply, movement, and information make them well-suited to campaigns built around tracking and trading rather than combat.
#As Primary Adversary
When using merchant companies as an adversary, ask not only about greed but "is ignorance sufficient to escape responsibility?" The agent says they did not know the contents — but if they profited from transporting without knowing, responsibility remains.
"The roads of Edo carry more than people. Names, grudges, forbidden texts, and things that should not be sold travel the same road."